On lessons of Trust and Choosing jewelry
by sickphilosophy
Summary: Robin gains perspective on things at the Jump City Mall.


RobStar Week Day 7: Jewels

* * *

…

...

It all started in the morning at Santangelo's Jewelers inside Jump City Mall after a personal invite from Antonio Santangelo himself, who had offered each team member a complimentary choice of jewelry as a token of thanks; the Titans had stopped a diamond heist for the sixth time that year (_like, really, HIVE?_). There was a budget, of course, but still Robin couldn't shake off the feeling that the generosity was too much.

"You sure you can afford Beast Boy's style?" Robin joked to Santangelo as they watched the green team member gawk into a glass case.

"Well, what's his style?"

"Whatever it is, he's gonna walk out of here top-heavy."

The store owner laughed as Beast Boy's eyes lit up at a massive gold chain.

Robin had been practical with his choice; he adjusted the silver diver's watch on his wrist, waiting for the rest of his team to make their decisions. At the back of the store, Raven was turning the onyx ring around her finger, bored out of her mind, but resting a hand on Cyborg's shoulder in moral support as an employee hovered over his ear with a cocked piercing gun. Near the front, Starfire had a jade bracelet in her hand, staring at a collection of ruby necklaces in a mild state of dismay.

"Star? Are you okay?"

"I am fine! It's just that these jewels remind me of the great firefalls of Tyrus Three. They're beautiful."

"So get them."

"But is it not customary on earth for your jewelry to match the color of your eyes?"

From where they were scattered throughout the store, all four Titans turned to look at their alien teammate.

"Who told you that?"

She stammered. "I-I assumed? Because of what my sister had told me? And because of the romance movies where the love interest tells the protagonist '_I got these for you my love because they match your eyes_' and—"

Starfire looked around to see an array of different expressions on her friends' faces.

"...I thought it was proper decorum."

…

...

It was a running joke by the time all the Titans were finished and their gifts were being secured in their appropriate boxes. Beast Boy and Cyborg didn't waste any time to throw it in Starfire's face.

"A'ight, it's time for it to go **down** at the food court. I'm starving."

"But remember, Cy. You can only eat foods that are made of metal and have cybernetic controls."

"Man, it looks like it's gonna be all salads for you."

"The joke is not that funny, friends," Starfire said in frustration.

It actually was, but Robin felt the responsibility as the team leader (and the boyfriend) to speak up and warn the guys about ending it there. Raven remained neutral throughout the whole exchange, but as they all stepped out of Santangelo's and into the rest of the mall, Raven turned to Robin with a look, and pointed at a watch showcased behind the glass.

It was the exact same model as the one he had just picked out, except for it's gleaming blue face and the single insets of sapphires at the 12, 3, 6, and 9.

"You sure you don't want this one?" She said quietly.

Tokyo had just been a few months ago. There were changes in the horizon, and he had every intention to tell them soon, but Robin had still not shared his identity to the rest of the team. And he didn't really know why—probably trust issues, or control issues; for some reason Robin was taking his time.

Only Raven had met "Dick Grayson," kind of, courtesy of the night she jumped into his mind. It meant she knew a lot more than the two of them let on. Raven was sworn to secrecy about Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon and Donna Troy and everything about the things he left behind. She knew Dick Grayson at great lengths and with acute detail. Even the seemingly meaningless stuff.

Say, for instance, the color of his eyes.

The upward turn of Raven's mouth was subtle, and Robin cracked a grin at her: _Haha, very funny._ Beast Boy and Cyborg were already ahead of them, making a beeline to their favorite taco station, completely unaware of Raven's contribution to their joke.

But when Robin turned to grab Starfire's hand, he was surprised to see she had been watching them intently.

…

…

Starfire pulled Robin out of the seat the moment he was finished with his cheese fries and tossed back a very bland _please excuse us, friends_ to the table before leading him out of the food court.

"Uh, Star? What's going on?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing is going on. I am simply interested in taking a gentle stroll with my boyfriend," she said as she pushed him violently through crowds of people like a bulldozer. Starfire had the subtleties of a tornado, which was even more apparent with her very poor performance of someone who had _just_ **happened** to notice a photo booth at the East Wing of the mall (the same photo booth she had been pointing out to the team for months).

"Three or four shots?" He asked her when they slid inside.

"Four."

The countdown between each flash of light was fast, and it was all victory signs and silly faces and easy smiles, but somewhere between the third shot and the fourth, Starfire leaned in to kiss his cheek as the last pose, her hand cupping his chin towards her.

_Three_—

_Two_—

"Robin."

She tugged on the domino mask just in time.

…

…

Robin scrambled to get his mask back on, speechless, wading through a dozen emotions, not really knowing how he felt about what Starfire had just done. Was he angry at her? Was he frightened? This was a breach of trust, wasn't it? Did he find it endearing or funny?

Starfire had already exited the booth, ready to catch the photo as it was being dispensed. And Robin stepped out to see his girlfriend staring at the bottom of the printed strip in wonder:

Starfire with a look of determination. And Robin, mouth parted in protest and wide **sapphire** eyes.

"Apologies," she said quietly, still staring at the photo. "Sometimes it is a task to be dating someone you know so little about. And it is not about a lack of feelings, or because I do not trust you. It is because I fear you do not trust _me_."

Starfire looked up, locking her discernible eyes with Robin's hidden ones. "That kind of fear can eat at a person over time."

She seemed to say the magic words that made it all click in his brain. Trust goes both ways, doesn't it?

There was a booming voice crescendoing from the East wing, and over her shoulder Robin saw their three friends approaching quickly from the distance, shopping bags in tow. He watched as Starfire took a glance back at them before carefully ripping off the last photo on its perforated line and tucking it into her gauntlet. She looked at him with a knowing smile and he saw something he had never witnessed before—a Starfire wink.

"Did I do that correctly?"

The rest of the Titans poured into both their spaces and Cyborg draped his arm over Starfire's shoulders while Beast Boy came around to elbow at Robin's side.

"We knew we were gonna find you two here. Alright, now let's see those official couple photos—."

She handed Cyborg the strip with nothing to hide. Maybe Starfire could do subtle after all.

Robin smiled back.

…

…

* * *

A/N: That's a wrap! RobStar Week 2019 is officially done. The prompts were really good and I can't believe how alive and supportive the community is on Tumblr, like, what the heck guys this show finished more than a decade ago this is awesome.

By the way, I've been getting some really nice reviews from guests throughout RobStar Week and I can't tell if it's many people or just one or a combo of both but,,,

Thank you! **Seriously.** It really does mean a lot. I love writing, but sometimes I feel like I'm publishing things into a big black void and it's just comforting to know someone's actually on board.


End file.
